SPECTER OF STATE-TERROR ON THE WORLD CUP

For a country plagued by a prolonged social and economic crisis, what is a better chance to lift its
image, than an international sporting event? Indeed, the FIFA World Cup offers the crisis-plagued
Brailian government an opportunity to showcase itself to billions around the world! For a country
of "## million, proud of the Seleo men - the national football team - dominating the world with
its samba style of play and winning the world cup five times, nothing could be more $oyous than
hosting the World Cup in its own soil! Indeed, nothing could be more thrilling than to see its
favourite boys in gold and green winning the much coveted FIFA world cup at %io&s iconic and
e'tortionately refurbished (aracan) stadium on *+th ,uly!
-he problem is that not all Brailians, and especially, the poor and the youth are happy in the ways
things are turning around! -he country has been roc.ed by incessant protests in the last one year,
with the crowds chanting /0)o vai ter Copa12 30o World Cup4 at every gathering! A few days ago,
denouncing property speculations, hundreds of families demonstrated near the 5)o 6aulo stadium,
staged to host the World Cup opener, ne't month! -he Arena Corinthians, venue of the inaugural
match between the home team and Croatia saw protesters blasting miserable housing conditions and
growing home costs!
"7# ### people are estimated to have been evicted from their homes in Brail, due to the World Cup
and the 8lympics construction wor.s! It is often difficult to find the e'act number of people evicted
since the administration of the *" host cities often denies or does not bother to have information
about the evictions! If resistances are offered, the authorities resort to political and psychological
pressure tactics, withdraw civic amenities and finally remove people with brutal force! 5uch were
the scale of violent evictions that the 9nited 0ations was forced to :uestion this in its 9niversal
6eriodic %eview! -he World Cup is already stained with serious human rights violations in which
entire communities have been and are being wiped off the map, disrupting the lives of thousands of
people, destroying community ties for decades and creating permanent psychological trauma!
-he protesters across the country blame the government for the astronomical 3;** billion4
investments around airports, stadiums and urban mobility that have contributed to a profound
growth of the Brailian e'ternal debt and abetted corporate corruption! -hey say that multi-national
corporations li.e Coca-Cola, Adidas, Anheuser-Busch InBev, 8i 5A and many others including
their local cronies would emerge clear winners leaving the country to languish with White
<lephants after the sporting events! -he stadiums in Brasilia, Cuiaba, (anaus and 0atal involve an
e'penditure of ; "!= billion, largely financed by the public e'che:uer and the Wor.er 5upport Fund!
>uge stadiums at astronomical costs have been built in these cities which has a history of much
smaller audiences! At least a third of the *" stadiums built and ? or renovated for the World Cup will
turn into white elephants!
A bigger debate that is doing the rounds is about who decides what ought to be done about the
World Cup! -he Brailian people, their government or supra-national entities li.e the FIFA! 6eople
complain that to be eligible for the World Cup, the Brailian government decided to give up the
sovereignty of the country, which in theory would be guaranteed in Article * of the Constitution! It
did this by offering, over time, a series of guarantees to FIFA in which it underta.es to comply with
all re:uirements imposed by FIFA! -hus, in "#*", the @ei Aeral da Copa 3World Cup Aeneral @aw4
was approved, which eases the national legislation and creates ones of e'ception in the host cities!
While many would argue for a stricter FIFA control to ensure fairness and setting up &standards of
efficiency&, the real problem lies elsewhere! (ore than the hosting of the biggest event of football,
FIFA has over the years turned into a money spinning machine! @ast 5eptember, plagued with
growing criticism about its move to award the "#"" World Cup to Batar, its supremo, 5epp Blatter,
was forced to admit that FIFACs decision was driven more by political and economic interests rather
than footballing ones! -he @aw gives FIFA the e'clusive right to establish Fan Fest, an area within
the radius of " .m of the stadiums where only official sponsors would sell products! While regular
shops would not be prevented from opening the doors, the haw.ers and other street-vendors would
be totally banned! A single city li.e 5)o 6aolo has almost *!7 million street vendors!
FIFA has forced the Brailian state to create new &criminal& stereotypes as the provisions of the @ei
Aeral da Copa @aw could penalie anyone who uses symbols relating to the event improperly, i!e!
for commercial purposes! -his means that words li.e /World Cup2, /FIFA2, /Brail2, /Canarinho2
3another name for the Brailian national s:uad4 are in their e'clusive domain and can only be used
by their partner companies for e'clusive commercial profiteering! -hese new crimes will still be
tried by e'clusive fast-trac. courts set-up in the vicinity of the stadiums! -he trials would be
conducted :uic.ly and with stiffer penalties, violating the right to legal defense - one of the most
basic criminal laws of any democracy!
-he @aw grants FIFA and their partner companies, a total e'emption from all ta'es, whether in
municipal, state or federal level! -he Brailian e'che:uer would lose an estimated ; D7# million
because of this ta' relief! 0o wonder, the World Cup in Brail must be the most lucrative in the
history of FIFA, which in theory is not driven by theory but by sporting passion! -his mega event
would enrich their coffers with ; *# billion!
-o be eligible for the World Cup, the governments and clubs were forced to build and renovate
stadiums adhering to /FIFA :uality standards2! -hese standards cheer us with news that stadiums
would turn into /arenas2, giant screens to show the moves of the game and plush upholstered chairs
for ultimate spectator comfort! >owever, the other side of the story is that the costs of new arenas
are built into the price of tic.ets, which are more e'pensive, generating an insidious gentrification
of football, considered as the most popular game in the world and a sport of the masses! -here are
attempts to create /consumer-spectators2 instead of the traditional football fans, going to the arenas
to watch a match, li.e going to a shopping mall with multiple'es! -his will certainly cheer up real
estate mafias and speculative capital while bringing tears to millions of Brailian and the poorest
segments of society who are e'cluded and unable to watch games on the field, in a country where
football is a way of life!
Finally, the most worrying concern has been the Brailian state use of repression to persecute and
discredit all those who criticise the cup! -he coercive apparatus is being e'panded to stifle protests
during the mega event - and most li.ely after! -his can be used against social movements and
demonstrators who resort to any sort of active protest! -he federal government has spent nearly ; 7#
million in weapons, including grenades of all types, electric shoc. weapons and rubber bullets!
5pecial shoc. troops with *#,### men were also created to act nationally in the host cities! In 5)o
6aulo, the 6olicia (ilitar 3(ilitary 6olice4, created by the military $unta and infamous for its role
during the period of dictatorship, warned that it would ac:uire truc.s that throw water spray to
contain protesters! -he same truc.s have been widely used to suppress and brea. popular
demonstrations in -ur.ey and Chile! A special battalion of 6olicia (ilitar, was also created by the
state government to control /civil disturbances and terrorism!2 -he government has vowed to
suppress persons, movements or organiations who cause road bloc.ades, cause or instigate
/radical2 and /violent2 actions! -hese /opposing forces2 would be strictly dealt with by armed
forces who would be on the streets during the World Cup, as they were for the Confederations Cup!
It&s a shame that the most popular sporting event of this planet needs army in the streets to ma.e it
happen! 9nfortunately, the spectre of state-terror loom large over a tournament .nown to evo.e a
popular euphoria around the world!